I have read many volumes by Mathew Kelly over I have also listened to a number of audio talks and attended 2 virtual conferences. And I can state this is by far one of the best.
The first part of the description of this volume states:
“A Spiritual Pilgrimage
At critical times throughout Salvation History, God’s people have been invited to consecrate themselves. We are at one of those critical times in history, and consecrating ourselves, our families, our country, and indeed, the whole world to the Eucharist may make all the difference.
33 Days to Eucharistic Glory is the first ever Eucharistic Consecration. This unprecedented spiritual resource presents profound truths, astonishing historical facts, powerful practical examples, a daily virtue to adopt, extraordinary prayers, and inspiring stories—all in an easy-to-follow daily format.
Life is a pilgrimage. It is a sacred journey toward our eternal home with God. Learn what it means to be a pilgrim in a world that is constantly trying to reduce you to a tourist and consumer. Journey with Mother Teresa, John Paul II, Thérèse of Lisieux, Maximilian Kolbe, Thomas Aquinas, Sister Faustina, the Children of Fatima, and Mary the Mother of God to experience Jesus in the Eucharist like never before.
Prepare yourself for an explosion of grace in your life. Grace is the assistance God gives us to do what is good, true, noble, and right. And there is no better way to receive God’s grace than through the Eucharist. Over the next thirty-three days you will learn how these great saints and others lived in Eucharistic Glory.
This extraordinary spiritual guide will forever change the way you spend time with Jesus in the Eucharist.”
The chapters in this book are:
Introduction: The Eucharist Is The Answer
“I Have A Dream…”
What Is Consecration?
The Incredible Journey Before You
Crisis Of Faith
Those Who Believe Don’t Leave
What Makes Catholicism Unique?
The Eucharist Is The Answer
How To Use This Book
Let The Pilgrimage Begin
Week One: The Eucharist And The Pilgrim
Day 1 Just Passing Through
Day 2 Pilgrim Or Tourist?
Day 3 The Four Last Things
Day 4 The Purposeful Pilgrim
Day 5 Fear Of Missing Out
Day 6 Six Defining Spiritual Moments
Day 7 The Pilgrim’s Virtue
Week Two: The Eucharist And The Saints
Day 8 Mother Teresa: Spiritual Habits
Day 9 John Paul Ii: Prayer After Communion
Day 10 Thérèse Of Lisieux: Jesus In Every Tabernacle
Day 11 Maximilian Kolbe: No Love Without Sacrifice
Day 12 Thomas Aquinas: There Is A Difference
Day 13 Sister Faustina: Don’t Delay
Day 14 Mary: The Power Of Yes
Week Three: The Eucharist And You
Day 15 All You Who Need Rest
Day 16 Healer Of My Soul
Day 17 Is Sacrifice The Answer?
Day 18 The Fruits Of The Eucharist
Day 19 First, Last And Only
Day 20 Love Rearranges Our Priorities
Day 21 Our Daily Bread
Week Four: The Eucharist And History
Day 22 A Difficult Teaching
Day 23 The Last Supper
Day 24 The Early Christians
Day 25 Eucharistic Miracles
Day 26 Your First Communion
Day 27 Our Lady Of Fatima
Day 28 Until The End Of The World
The Final Days: The Moment Of Surrender
Day 29 Called To Holiness
Day 30 Holy Moments
Day 31 The Way Of Virtue
Day 32 The Presentation Of Jesus
Day 33 Totally Yours
Prayer Of Eucharistic Consecration
Appendix:
Consecrate America To The Eucharist
Become A Eucharistic Missionary
Feast Day Tables
I highlighted a few passages while reading this volume some of them are:
“You are about to embark on an incredible journey. This isn’t just another book. It is an invitation to participate in a sacred journey—a spiritual pilgrimage. It’s a guide that will lead you to the essence of what it means to be Catholic … and it will change your life in the most marvelous of ways.”
“But there is another aspect for us to keep in mind as we chart a path forward. I tried to capture it more than twenty years ago, in the opening line of the first edition of Rediscover Catholicism: “The Church (like so many other things in life) is not so much something we inherit from generations past, or take over from our predecessors, as it is something on loan to us from future generations.””
“The most effective way to slow and halt the exodus the Catholic Church is experiencing in the United States is to lead people to believe in the True Presence of Jesus in the Eucharist. And the most effective way to bring people back to the Catholic Church will be by leading them to believe that Jesus is present in the Eucharist. And the most effective way to attract people to Catholicism who have never even considered becoming Catholic is by facilitating for them powerful encounters with Jesus Christ who lives among us today in the Eucharist.”
“The Eucharist. Jesus Christ—the King of Kings, the Lord of Lords, the Alpha and the Omega—truly present—Body, Blood, Soul, and Divinity—in the Eucharist. He is the difference.”
“Jesus waits for you in the Eucharist, in our tabernacles and monstrances, and on the altar at every Mass. His message to you is unmistakable. In a world where so many people feel unseen, unheard, and unworthy, Jesus generously proclaims: I see you. I hear you. I know you. You are worthy. I am with you. I care. I am yours. You are Mine.”
“These are the five questions that humanity has been asking consciously and subconsciously since the beginning of human history. Although we may be unable to articulate them, you and I are constantly asking these questions in our daily lives. Whether we are aware of it or not, our whole existence is a searching to answer these five questions. We seek the answers to these questions directly and indirectly every day. And how we answer these questions determines the shape, form, and direction that our lives take. These are the five questions every heart longs to answer: Who am I? Where did I come from? What am I here for? How do I do it? Where am I going?”
“Life is a pilgrimage. We are just passing through this world.”
“For hundreds of years, if you attended a retreat or a parish mission, you didn’t have to wonder what the opening topic might be. You would have known. It would have been the Four Last Things. This was always the opening topic. The Four Last Things were also traditionally the topic of homilies preached on the four Sundays of Advent.”
“What are the Four Last Things? Death, Judgment, Heaven, and Hell. Saint Philip Neri advised, “Beginners in religion ought to exercise themselves principally in meditation on the Four Last Things.” And yet, more and more, we don’t reflect on these things at all, make great efforts to avoid them in conversation, and rarely hear them mentioned by spiritual teachers.”
“We are always hungry for something more complete, and God is the completeness that we yearn for from the depths of our soul.”
“Life is fleeting. In a moment we will all be gone. And what do you think comes next? Based on the teachings of Jesus Christ, the Catholic Church has always taught four things: Death, Judgment, Heaven, and Hell. Are you prepared to meet your Maker? And if you aren’t, who and what can prepare you?”
“The Sixth Shift: Just Keep Showing Up. No matter what, just keep showing up to prayer. Keep showing up to Mass. Keep showing up for your spiritual routines and rituals. We will explore this sixth shift in more detail tomorrow, but for now, it’s enough to be mindful that it’s not about what we are doing. It’s about what God is doing in us, through us, and with us—when we show up.”
“Nowhere is this advice more relevant than when it comes to the Eucharist. Imagine if Catholics had applied this simple wisdom to the practice of attending Mass over the past fifty years: Just keep showing up. Show up each Sunday regardless of how you feel or if it is convenient. Just show up and let God work on you. Imagine. The Catholic Church and the state of society would be completely different today if we had just kept showing up and letting God work.”
“The French novelist, Leon Bloy, once wrote, “The only real sadness, the only real failure, the only great tragedy in life, is not to become a saint.” While becoming a saint is the primary goal of the Christian life, most people never seriously consider it a possibility. Is it possible? Yes. How do we begin? By adopting the spiritual habits that the saints shared in common.”
“As one of the greatest writers of all time, Thomas said it more profoundly than I could ever hope to: “The Eucharist is the Sacrament of Love. It signifies Love. It produces love. The Eucharist is the consummation of the whole spiritual life.” Trust. Surrender. Believe. Receive.”
“These fruits of the Eucharist will help you become a-better-version-of-yourself each day. They will help you become all God created you to be. The grace of the Eucharist will help you do the next right thing. Do the next right thing often enough for long enough and amazing things will begin to happen. Trust. Surrender. Believe. Receive.”
“When I was about sixteen, my spiritual mentor had challenged me to go to daily Mass one day each week, so I began attending Mass on Tuesday evenings at our parish. It was at Mass during the week that I discovered the genius of Catholicism and the beauty of the Mass. It was at these quiet and intimate daily Mass experiences that this sacred ritual really began to ignite my love for Catholicism. I would follow the opening prayer, the readings, and the closing prayer in my missal, and the words began to probe my heart and ignite the fire in my soul. By some grace, I started to listen to the prayers of the Mass, really listen, and it was like the pieces of a puzzle coming together. It was only then that I began to see the incredible vision God has for our lives, for His Church, and for the world.”
“The first time you received Jesus in the Eucharist was a historic moment. You stepped into a 2,000 year history of men and women participating in Eucharistic Glory. You became part of an eternal community that includes angels and saints who all come to the same table for this one meal.”
“You have a place in the history of the Eucharist. You have a place in the history of the Catholic Church. You have a place at God’s altar. Every invitation to receive Jesus is an immeasurable honor. Every encounter has the power to be life changing. Harness the power of anticipation by preparing for Mass.”
“If you receive the Eucharist on the hands, you may have noticed that the Eucharistic Minister watches you until you consume the Host. Do you know why? Because Satanic cults and their worshippers understand who and what the Eucharist is. Their belief that Jesus is truly present in the Eucharist is unwavering. Satanists steal consecrated Hosts from Catholic churches and then mock Jesus and desecrate the Eucharist in a ceremony they refer to as a “Black Mass.” This is why the Eucharistic Minister ensures you consume the Host.”
“Saint Paul taught that we should always receive Holy Communion in a worthy manner. He made it clear that if we receive the Eucharist in an unworthy way, then we eat and drink condemnation upon ourselves. (1 Corinthians 11: 27–32)”
“Some moments are holy, some moments are unholy, and you get to decide. Fill your life with Holy Moments, one at a time.”
“This total self-giving is something we have witnessed at every Mass we have ever attended. In the Eucharist, Jesus gives His whole self to us completely and absolutely. And now, in this Eucharistic Consecration, we respond with love and generosity by pledging our whole selves to Jesus in the Eucharist.”
I hope those quotes and sample reflection give you a feel for this excellent volume. This is another book masterfully written by Mathew Kelly. It is a volume that will transform lives. It will challenge readers. And help us appreciate and grow in our love for the Eucharist. I believe this is the first consecration to the Eucharist. It was an amazing read. I have also picked up the version for children for my two youngest kids. This would be a great addition to any church, home, or school library. This is an excellent volume I can easily recommend. I challenge you to pick it up and read it.
